The Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs in their preseason game 120-117, but one of its biggest stories happened afterward. During his postgame interview, Heat guard Tyler Herro saw fans fighting in the stands, which distracted him and led to a hilarious exchange before he left for the locker room.
“I'm sorry, I'm distracted by a fight up there. This is CRAZY!” Herro said, via a post shared by ClutchPoints on X, formerly Twitter.
“I’m sorry, I’m distracted by a fight up there. This is CRAZY!”
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 16, 2024
Tyler Herro was watching a fight during his postgame interview 🤣
(via @BallyHEAT)pic.twitter.com/HvLSQepf8U
Same team, new season for the Heat
The Miami Heat enter the new season with the same core of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro, with their new addition of Terry Rozier for additional scoring. However, questions still remain about the team, whose core is certainly good enough to reach the Finals but could never get over the hump.
Moreover, the Celtics may have finally lapped them, upgrading their roster with the acquisitions of Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White, the ultimate two-way glue guy. Do the Heat still have enough firepower to get out of the East?
Former coach Stan Van Gundy doesn't think so.
“I really don't understand what's going on there. They're really a win-now team, which I respect, and they haven't put a roster around there that has a chance,” the ex-coach-turned-broadcaster said, via Anthony Pasciolla for Sports Illustrated.
Heat fans might say that Van Gundy has some good points. Jimmy Butler is entering a contract year, and is now on the wrong side of 30 with a sizable injury history. He missed the first round of the playoffs last season, where the Celtics routed them 4-1.
While Scary Terry also missed that series because of injury, it remains unclear if he would have made a difference if the talent difference between the two teams was too much.
Bam Adebayo is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but he probably needs more help than Butler, Herro, and Rozier can provide. They most likely will lean harder on second-year player Jaime Jaquez, Jr. and expedite the development of promising rookie Kel'el Ware.
The Heat's relative lack of difference-making players might spell the difference between playoff success and disappointment, and SVG agreed.
“They didn't have a great team, and they didn't have a great year. That's not a very good roster. To me, that's a play-in roster again,” the coach said.
No one knows what will happen next season, but the Heat's title window may have closed. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks have acquired Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, while the Philadelphia 76ers landed Paul George.
A 35-year-old Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro might not be enough to help Bam and the Heat reach the promised land anymore, despite all the fight, toughness, and funny interviews.
